Nabari No Ou Vol. #07 Manga Review

Posted by Kate O’Neil
August 10, 2011 at 07:57 AM

Loyalties are called into question and motives challenged as the battle at the Academy takes an ugly turn.

Creative Staff
Story/Art: Yuhki Kamatani
Translation/Adaptation: Alethea Nibley & Athena Nibley

What They Say
What was supposed to be a peaceful discourse on the state of the Nabari world descends into chaos as the students of Alya Academy throw themselves headlong into an attack against the very shinobi they invited to their school. Their purpose? To fulfill the grisly requirements of the cure-all forbidden art, Daya, to revive the beloved leader of Kouga village! As Miharu’s former allies from Banten and current ones from the Grey Wolves form an uneasy alliance to stay alive, the no-longer-apathetic vessel of the Shinra Banshou reaches out to the secret art in a desperate bid to save Yoite. In the midst of such emotional and physical chaos, will it answer his call?

Content (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
The simple act of retrieving another ninja village scroll has become a far more complicated task for the two rival shinobi villages. Miharu defected to the Grey Wolves in the last volume, after deciding he wished to learn to use the powers of the Shinra Banshou. Tobari is sticking to his guns about wanting the Shinra Banshou sealed. All of the outsiders are now fighting against the students of the academy, who in turn are fighting against each other. The clash rolls back and forth making up the bulk of the action in this volume.

Miharu and Yoite are left fighting for their lives against the prickly Shijima. She beats and berates them, making the boys question both their personal goals and if Miharu can achieve his goal of control of the Shinra Banshou. Miharu himself isn’t sure, but he is sure of one thing: that he’s grown very close to Yoite and doesn’t really want to loose him.

The battles in this volume are bloody, heart-wrenching affairs with fighting that is fast paced and chaotic. The art suffers a bit when it comes to some of the action scenes, especially since they often move at a quick pace. With evasion being a shinobi’s specialty there are many instances where characters seem to teleport around and keeping track of the change in locations is tricky.

The longer this series goes on, the more gray the actions of each character grow. The teacher and student are growing apart, but Tobari still wants Miharu to be safe. Kouichi has grown frustrated with Tobari to the point where Kouichi is now taking on the role of leader. Reimei no longer has the hatred of her brother she once had, and the Grey Wolves even seem fairly comfortable around the Banten shinobi. The shifting dynamics are fascinating to watch play out, especially with such personal reactions among the group of friends and rivals.

One event in this volume, which I won’t spoil, took me completely by surprise simply for the dialog in the scene. While a flip through the book would spoil the aftermath of the moment, the few simple lines spoken from character to another during the frantic life-or-death exchange are so harsh that it’s shocking. I’m not sure if the reprimand will have an effect on future events, but it was a great moment.

By the end of this volume it becomes clear that the decision that Miharu has to make isn’t whether he chooses to use the Shinra Banshou or not, but instead whether to allow for it’s powers and the powers of the shinobi to continue to exist at all. However, he might loose what he wants to protect no matter which path he chooses.

In Summary:
The last few volumes of Nabari no Ou dragged in pacing and story events. This volume makes up for that, piling on the action, surprise revelations, and some decent drama. With the Kouga village scroll in Miharu’s hands, the story is moving steadily forward. Shifting motivations are keeping me guessing as to who is ultimately going to side with who. There are some great full page reaction shots employing different art styles to great dramatic effect. This volume managed to grab my waning attention and pull me back in. Hopefully the story can maintain this pace.

Content Grade: A -
Art Grade: B +
Packaging Grade: B +
Text/Translation Grade: A -

Age Rating: 16+
Released By: Yen Press
Released Date: July 19th, 2011
MSRP: $11.99